Coleco Telstar Ranger
 | |
| Telstar Ranger with both paddle units seated in their wells | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Coleco Industries, Inc., Amsterdam, New York[1] |
| Type | Dedicated home video game console (Pong-type TV game with light gun) |
| Released | 1977[2] |
| CPU | None; General Instrument AY-3-8500 game chip[2] |
| Memory | None |
| Storage | None |
| Display | RF output to a television on VHF channel 3, black and white[3][2] |
| Sound | Hit, score and rebound sounds[1] |
| Input | Two detachable paddle units, pistol[3] |
| Power | Six C cells, or Coleco's 9 V AC adapter Model 6041[1] |
| OS / Firmware | — |
| Model no. | 6046 |
The Coleco Telstar Ranger (model 6046) is a black-and-white Pong-type TV game with a light pistol, made by Coleco and released in 1977.[2][1] It plays six games on a television tuned to channel 3: tennis, hockey, handball and jai alai with two paddle units that can be lifted out of the console and used on cables, and two shooting games, target and skeet, with a revolver-style pistol.[1][3] Coleco sold it as the Telstar Ranger "with remote control". It runs on six C cells or Coleco's 9 V adapter, and its games come from General Instrument's AY-3-8500.[1][2]
History
[edit | edit source]Pong-Story describes the Ranger as a six-game version of the first Telstar, using all six games of the AY-3-8500 and housed in the same case in black. It came with a pistol, an antenna switch box and two cables for using the paddles away from the console.[2] The original Telstar used the same chip with only its three ball games selectable.[4] Coleco's guide for model 6046 is dated 1977.[1]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]| Part | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game chip | General Instrument AY-3-8500 (Pong-Story); Arcade-History gives the AY-3-8500-1[2][5] |
| Picture | Black and white; scores 0 to 15[1][2] |
| TV output | Game cable to an antenna switch box; channel 3[3] |
| Paddles | Two remote units that sit in wells in the console or work on 6 ft cables[3] |
| Light gun | Revolver-style pistol on a cable with a keyed plug[6][7] |
| Power | Six C cells behind a screwed battery door, or the Telstar 9 V AC adapter Model 6041[1][8] |
General Instrument makes the AY-3-8500 in two versions: the AY-3-8500 for 625-line television and the AY-3-8500-1 for 525-line sets such as those in North America.[9] Both run from +6 to +7 V with a 2 MHz clock and provide the two rifle games through "shot" and "hit" inputs driven by the gun circuit.[9] No schematic, parts list or board photograph of the Ranger has been found.
Controls
[edit | edit source]| Control | Positions | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Game selector knob | HANDBALL, HOCKEY, TENNIS, JAI ALAI, SKEET, TARGET | Chooses the game[3][10] |
| Variable Action Control | BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, PRO | Ball speed and paddle size; target and skeet use BEGINNER and PRO only[3][6] |
| RESET | Push button | Starts a new game[3] |
| ON-OFF | Slide switch | Power[3] |
| Pistol receptacle | Keyed socket on the panel | Connects the pistol[3][6] |
| Left and right paddle controls | Knobs on the remote units | Move each paddle up and down[3][11] |
Remote paddle units
[edit | edit source]For console play each remote unit sits in a well, with the jack in its base pushed onto a connector pin in the well. For remote play the owner pulls the unit straight up and joins it to the pin with a 6 ft remote cable. Coleco told owners to unplug the cables and put the units back in the console when the game was off, to avoid damage.[3][12]
Games
[edit | edit source]The four ball games follow the same rules as on the Telstar Alpha, and some units show two scores in handball.[11] In target the target moves at random and stays on screen; in skeet it crosses from left to right. The left score counts shots fired and the right counts hits, and a game ends after 15 shots.[6] Coleco advised a firing distance of 6 to 8 ft from a 12 in set and up to 12 to 15 ft from a set of 21 in or more, normal brightness with a slightly grey background, and no sunlight on the screen.[6]
Coleco's patent for a television target game, filed in August 1977 by Eric Bromley, describes a pistol whose lenses focus the light of the target onto a phototransistor; the console counts a hit when the light pulse lasts for the expected time.[13] Coleco's guide does not say how the Ranger's own pistol is built.
Power
[edit | edit source]The six C cells go behind a battery door in the base, fastened with two screws supplied in a small bag.[1][8] The alternative was Coleco's TELSTAR 9 volt AC adapter Model 6041, and the guide warns that any other 9 V adapter could permanently damage the game.[1] A Model 6041 is labelled 117 V 60 Hz 5 W in and 9 V DC 200 mA out.[14] Its socket is in a recess at the back of the case.[15]
Repair
[edit | edit source]A moulded label on the base reads "DO NOT OPEN / THIS DEVICE DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY SERVICEABLE PARTS" and lists five US patent numbers.[8] In 1977 Coleco offered a 90-day warranty and then service for $15 up to two years from purchase.[6] No service manual for the Ranger has been found. The Ranger has its own repair guides:
- Coleco Telstar Ranger General Maintenance: opening the base, the battery compartment, the remote paddle units and their pins, the pistol and its socket, switches and the RF lead.
- Coleco Telstar Ranger Troubleshooting Guide: power-on behaviour, reference values for the AY-3-8500, and faults with the paddles, the pistol and the picture.
- Coleco Telstar Ranger Capacitor Replacement Guide: what is known about the electrolytic capacitors and how to record your own.
Documentation
[edit | edit source]Coleco's installation instructions, Guide No. 57878B, are hosted here; see Coleco Telstar Ranger Documentation. General Instrument's 1978 data for the AY-3-8500 is on General Instrument GIMINI TV Game Circuits.
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
From above, with the six-position game knob -
Remote play: the paddle units on their cables -
The pistol for target and skeet -
The base: six edge screws, the screwed battery door and the moulded label -
Rear of a unit modified with an F connector in place of the game cable -
The centre panel with the pistol plugged in
.jpg)
.jpg)
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Coleco Telstar, the three-game original in the same case
- Coleco Telstar Alpha, the four-game model that followed
- Coleco Telstar Marksman, a later colour model with a light gun
- Category:Coleco
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Coleco Industries, Telstar Ranger with Remote Control: Installation Instructions and Game Rules, Model No. 6046, Guide No. 57878B, 1977, p. 1, File:Coleco Telstar Ranger Installation Instructions (Guide 57878B).pdf: six video games (tennis, hockey, handball, jai alai and two moving target games, target and skeet); automatic digital display scoring 0-15; three-position speed and paddle size; hit, score and rebound sounds; six C batteries; battery door fastened with two screws from the small plastic bag; the exclusive TELSTAR 9 volt AC adapter Model #6041, others "can permanently damage your game"; avoid leaving batteries in the unit; replace batteries first if the Telstar does not work; four rubber bumpers pressed into the corner holes of the bottom housing; switch box connections.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 David Winter, Pong-Story, "Coleco Telstar Ranger" (retrieved 2026-10-18): model 6046, released in 1977, a six-game version of the first Telstar playing the six games of the AY-3-8500; supplied with a pistol for the two shooting games, a switch box and two wires for detaching the controllers; same case as the Telstar in black.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Coleco, Guide No. 57878B, p. 2: switch box set to "Game"; pre-set for channel 3; TV adjustments; panel diagram (game selector knob, pistol receptacle, left and right paddle controls, reset button, Variable Action Control BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE/PRO, ON-OFF switch, game cable, AC adapter Model #6041); console play with each remote unit's jack lined up with the connector pin in its well; remote play with the 6 ft remote cables; remove the cables and replace the units in the console when the game is off; remove a TV sunscreen for target and skeet; reset starts a new game and after 15 points the ball (or target) continues but does not score.
- ↑ Cameron Coward, "Two Secret Games Discovered on Vintage Coleco Telestar Pong Chip", Hackster.io (retrieved 2026-10-19): a Coleco Telstar with three built-in games (hockey, handball, tennis) uses the AY-3-8500, which also holds two shooting games not enabled on that console.
- ↑ Arcade-History, "Telstar Ranger [Model 6046"] (retrieved 2026-10-19): two detachable paddles with knobs and a gun; CPU "AY-3-8500-1 from General Instruments"; built-in speaker.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Coleco, Guide No. 57878B, p. 4: target and skeet. Turn the ON-OFF switch to OFF before connecting the pistol cable; align the connector with the key and do not force it into the pistol receptacle; in target the target moves at random, in skeet it crosses from left to right; both play in BEGINNER and PRO only; left number shots fired, right number hits, 15 shots per game; "If score does not appear, then push reset button again"; normal brightness, contrast set for a slightly grey background, no bright sunlight on the screen; firing distance 6 to 8 ft for a 12 in set and up to 12 to 15 ft for 21 in or more; do not aim at the scores. 90-day limited warranty; service after the warranty for $15.00, not more than 2 years from purchase; Telstar Division, Bldg. #52, 10 Park St., Amsterdam, New York.
- ↑ Photograph by Dan McMahill, File:1977 Telstar Ranger Light Gun (Skeet Controller).jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons): revolver-style pistol with its cable and round multi-pin plug.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Photograph by Dan McMahill, File:1977 Coleco Telstar Ranger Bottom.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons), read at full size: six screws around the edge of the base, four corner holes, battery door held by two screws and moulded USE 6 (C) BATTERIES, moulded label with DO NOT OPEN and patent numbers.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 General Instrument, GIMINI TV Game Circuits, January 1978, pp. 4-6, File:General Instrument GIMINI TV Game Circuits (January 1978).pdf: 625-line (AY-3-8500) and 525-line (AY-3-8500-1) versions; six games including two rifle shooting games; shot input pin 26 and hit input pin 27, each driven by a positive pulse from a monostable; VCC +6 to +7 V; 2 MHz clock input.
- ↑ Photograph by Dan McMahill, File:1977 Coleco Telstar Ranger Top View.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons): game knob labelled HANDBALL, HOCKEY, TENNIS, JAI ALAI, SKEET, TARGET.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Coleco, Guide No. 57878B, p. 3: rules for tennis, hockey, handball (two scores on some units) and jai alai.
- ↑ Photograph by Dan McMahill, File:1977 Coleco Telstar Ranger with Controllers.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons): both paddle units out of their wells on remote cables plugged onto the pins in the wells; centre panel with pistol socket, RESET, game knob, BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE/PRO and ON/OFF; grille at the right of the name panel.
- ↑ E. Bromley (Coleco Industries), US Patent 4,185,825, filed 8 August 1977, granted 29 January 1980, File:Coleco target game patent US4185825.pdf: abstract and description of a simulated firearm whose outer and inner lenses focus light from the target image onto a phototransistor; the signal lasts as long as the sensed light image, and a hit-evaluating circuit compares its duration with a predetermined interval.
- ↑ Photograph by Evan-Amos, File:Coleco-Telstar-AC-Adaptor.jpg (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons): label "TELSTAR AC ADAPTOR MODEL 6041 ... INPUT: 117V 60Hz 5W OUTPUT: 9 V DC 200mA".
- ↑ Photograph by Dan McMahill, File:1977 Coleco Telstar Ranger Rear.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons), with the photographer's description: this unit "has been modified to have an F connector on the rear instead of a cable"; the adapter socket is in a recess above it.
